Take a former Disney star and a serial killer and what do you get? If My Friend Dahmer is any indication, a killer true crime movie. Zac Efron is the latest good-boy-gone-bad as Ted Bundy, one of the world’s most notorious serial killers. And today, we got our first look at his take on Bundy in the trailer for Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
Unlike My Friend Dahmer, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile takes place at the end of a killer’s reign. Ted Bundy is on trial for the majority of the trailer–he famously chose to represent himself rather than trust any lawyer with his case.
Related: 8 Twisted Confessions from Ted Bundy That Will Make Your Skin Crawl
Elizabeth Kloepfer, who Bundy dated on-and-off from 1969 to the late 1970s, is played by Lily Collins–reportedly, the film will primarily be from her point-of-view. Although she doesn’t appear in the trailer, Carole Ann Boone, who married Bundy during his trial, will also be in the film, played by Kaya Scodelario.
Bundy began killing women sometime in the early 70s, and killed at least 20 women before he was first arrested in 1975. He managed to escape police custody in 1977 and killed another six before being arrested once again. With both Kloepfer and Boone appearing in the film, the former having stayed by Bundy’s side during his first trial, and the latter having married Bundy during his second go-round, it’s likely that we’ll get to see the full span of Bundy’s killer career.
Despite a rather oddly comedic tone to the trailer, we’re betting that Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile will be an off-beat, creepy documentary-style film–director Joseph Berlinger has primarily worked in true crime documentaries to date, most notably Brother’s Keeper, Paradise Lost, and Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, which was released by Netflix earlier this week.
Related: 24 True Crime Documentaries That You Can Stream on Netflix Right Now
From the trailer alone it's clear that Efron-as-Bundy oozes charm through the screen, even as the viewer is utterly repulsed, knowing just how shockingly evil his character truly is. The film is scheduled to have its premiere at Sundance on Sunday, January 26. Stay tuned for more information about a wide-release date; in the meantime, check out the trailer below.
Featured still of 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile' via COTA Films
